First Sight on Fiver
by Fox Teen
Summary: Hazel has a dream about when he first became a big brother.


Hazel stood outside waiting for the news. He was totally anxious. He wanted a new brother so badly. His three younger brothers were dreadful. They were bullies. They were wild. They were mindless. They would often tease other small animal or insect.

"It's all fine now," said the mother's voice.

Hazel, who was excited, barged right into where his mother rested with a baby runt.

At first Hazel was shocked, but he his heart felt warm. So warm it was something he never felt before. _Is this what is feels like to love someone?_ He wondered.

He went up to the little rabbit that was sleeping peacefully, but then his eyes suddenly opened. His eyes were a beautiful sky blue.

"A runt?" sneered one of the brother's behind him. "What a disaster!"

"Go away," snarled Hazel.

"We gladly will," said another, and they hopped away.

Hazel turned back to the baby and smiled.

"What is his name, Mother?" he asked.

"I decided to leave that to you, Hazel," she said. "Since you cared the most for this occasion."

"I think," he said "Because he is the fifth out of us, I will call him…. Fiver."

"What a sweet name," the mother smiled.

"Can I hold him please?" begged Hazel.

"Be careful," the mother said.

Hazel carefully scooped Fiver into his paws.

"Hello, little Fiver," he said softly. "I'm Hazel, your big brother."

Fiver let out a squeaky hiccup and smiled.

"Have you got hiccups?" cooed Hazel, rubbing his nose with his?

Fiver hiccupped again as he closed his eyes. Hazel gently put him back next to his mother's fur and hopped back outside.

He lay on his favourite hilltop. He didn't know what he did to deserve a little brother he loved so dearly. His brothers were monsters and he despised them the minute they were born one after another, but this was different. Frith had unnecessarily spoiled him with a brother to love.

It was a stormy night. Hazel's mother asked him to look after Fiver while she went to fetch back some flayrah.

Thunder clapped and the baby wailed.

"It's alright," said Hazel. "It's alright, I'm here."

The baby looked at his older brother who had scrunched his mouth to a dot raising his eyebrows up and down to which he giggled.

"You think it's funny?" smiled Hazel. He tied his own ears to a knot and smiled stupidly, to which Fiver laughed and clapped his paws together. He was feeling quite happy now.

Hazel sat in his mother's space and brought the baby up to his chest where he snuggled up. Hazel put a paw over him to keep him warm.

"Comfortable?" he asked.

Fiver rubbed is face deeper into his brother's fur.

"Would you like me to tell you a story?" he said. "I know loads of good stories."

Fiver buried his face deeper into Hazel's chest.

"Once upon a time," Hazel Began, "there was a teenage rabbit named Hazel. He had three brothers whom he despised. They were all horrible. They fought, quarrelled and beat one another, even torture other animals that did not deserve it. Hazel wished for another brother that he could love and would try to be like him. One night, he heard the voice of Frith. He said 'Hazel, you shall be blessed with another brother that shall be one for you to love.' And soon his mother gave birth to a tiny baby, which Hazel named Fiver. He loved him the very moment he laid eyes on him. His strong love was proven one stormy night when a lightning demon came into the burrow and said 'I have come for your brother, and Hazel said 'You will never take him. Love is stronger than fear, fear is a coward like you. Leave at one before I gnaw you to bits.' And he vanished. He knew nothing else would harm his little brother for as long as they both lived."

Fiver opened his eyes and smiled.

"Hathel," he gurgled.

Hazel gasped. "He's trying to say my name." He looked at Fiver and smiled. "Close. Hazel. Say it. Haaaaaay-zaaaaaal."

"Haaaay-zaaaal," repeated Fiver.

"Now say it quick," said Hazel. "Hay-zal."

"Hay-zal, Hazel, Hazel."

"You clever thing you," smiled Hazel. You already know how to speak.  
>"He can speak?" said the mother who just entered with some flayrah.<p>

"He said my name, Mother," said Hazel.  
>"Hazel," said the baby.<p>

"Oh, my wonderful boy," she said. "You can talk. Oh, Hazel you are such an amazing brother, to help your new brother speak on the same day he was born."

"I love him," said Hazel. "I'd do anything to help him."

"Right," said the mother. "Time for sleep." She went to her spot and lay down next to Fiver.

"Good night, Fiver," said Hazel softly, nuzzling him. "I love you,"

He lay awake in his burrow. Fiver was more than a brother; he was a gift, a gift that just makes you somebody else.

"Hazel! Hazel! Wake up!"

Hazel woke up to find Fiver bouncing on his chest.

"Someone's up so early," he yawned.

Fiver hopped off his belly. "You said you would take me somewhere."

Hazel soon forgot his tiredness and got ready. He waited for Fiver to climb onto his back and they hopped out into the open air.

Fiver was dazzled with what he saw. Everywhere was green and beautiful.

"What is this place, Hazel?"

"This is the world, Fiver," chuckled Hazel warmly. He loved his brother's innocent curiosity.

"What is that bright thing shining down?"

"That is the sun. It helps things to grow and makes us warm."

"What's this green stuff you are standing on?"

"It's grass. Very juicy it is as well. Makes you very big and strong."

"What is that thing that's sticking up?"

"It's a flower. Flowers like that always make this world beautiful."

"What's beautiful?"

"Something that is very nice to look at and very delicate?"

"What's delicate?"

"When something's precious."

"What's precious?"  
>"You."<p>

Fiver looked a bit confused. "Why am I precious?" he asked, hopping onto his brother's head and looking into his eyes.

"Because you are my brother and you mean the whole world to me."

"Oh," said the little toddler. It seemed only yesterday to Hazel that he was born.

They went up to a high hill where the sun shone brightly.

"What's that thing in the air?" asked Fiver looking at a bird.

"It's a bird," said Hazel. "It is an animal that always flies."

"What animal are we?"

"We are rabbits," said Hazel.

"Can rabbits fly?" asked Fiver. He jumped off from Hazel's head and almost landed on the ground but Hazel jumped onto his belly and Fiver landed onto his back.

"They don't," Hazel answered, "but we could give it a try."

Hazel lied down on his back, picked Fiver up, put him on his feet and paws and pushed him up into the air. He kept doing it repeatedly until his feet and paws were tired. He rested Fiver onto his chest and lay there for a while.

Eventually, Fiver asked. "If rabbits can't fly, what can they do?"

"Hop," said Hazel. "Like this." And he hopped around Fiver "Hip-hop hip-hop hip-hop."

Fiver giggled and copied him hopping saying "Hip-hop hip-hop hip-hop."

Soon they bumped into each other's faces and fell on their backs. They burst into laughter, they laughed until their bellies hurt.

"_Urp!_"

"I beg you pardon?" smiled Hazel looking down on Fiver who had finished his flayrah of clover.

"Pardon me," Fiver blushed.

"Want to play something?" Hazel asked. "Tail Tag?"

"What's Tail Tag?" asked Fiver.

"A rabbit chases another rabbit, and you hit him or her on the tail when you're close and shout Tail Tag."

At first Hazel gave a Fiver a chance and he started running after him and knocked his rump with his nose shouting "Tail Tag!"

But Fiver went flying and fell on the grass. He started to wail.

Hazel ran up to him. The toddler was holding his paw up."

"Oh no!" he exclaimed. "You've twisted your paw."

He started rubbing it and Fiver's sobbing slowly faded and Hazel softly nuzzled it.

"Let's play something less rough," Hazel decided.

He introduced Fiver to Bobstones. He told him he had to guess how many Bobstones Hazel was hiding under his paw.

Hazel put his paw on he ground and Fiver looked. He put his paws on the paw and shouted "Tree!" He meant 'Three'.

Hazel lifted his paw and there were three. "You are so clever, you," said Hazel as he tickled the side of Fiver's neck.

Many hours passed and they kept playing, hopping and finding good flayhah. They found a quiet hill. Hazel lay on his back with Fiver on top of his belly, as they watched the setting sun.

"I don't know what I would be doing if you weren't in my life, Fiver. I've known what it's like to love a mother, but your are the first brother to show what brother love feels like."

Hazel suddenly awoke in the night. He was back in his burrow at Watership Down. He got up and hopped over to Fiver's burrow and watched him sleep peacefully. A tear streamed from his eye as he watched him sleep.

"You've grown so fast," he sobbed.

He suddenly heard Fiver moan in pain.

"Help!" he shouted, "Help!"

Hazel rushed to him and shook him.

"Fiver!" he said quietly so not to wake anyone. "Wake up! It's all right. I'm here."

Fiver's eyes opened filled with tears.

"Oh, Hazel!" he sobbed. "I had a horrible dream."

"Shh, now, shh," Hazel comforted as he wrapped his arms around Fiver. "Now can you tell me what dream it was?"

"I dreamed that the weasel came in here and dragged me away and there was no one to help me."

He let out a loud sob into his brother's chest.

"It's all over now," said Hazel kindly. "That weasel will never come for you. Not while I'm around."

Fiver quickly calmed down.

"Do you want to outside for a bit?" asked Hazel.

"Yes please, Hazel," smiled Fiver whose eyes were bloodshot from crying.

They went outside and lay on the grass looking up at the stars.

"You know, Fiver," said Hazel. "Tonight I was dreaming about you."

"You were?"

"When I first became a big brother," said Hazel. "Those three others. I didn't care for them at all. But you were a diamond."

"Remember when you kept throwing me up into the air when I wanted to fly?" laughed Fiver.

"Yes, I remember," laughed Hazel.

"And those funny faces you pulled at me when I was afraid of the thunder?"

"Yes, I remember," said Hazel. And he tied his ears into a knot. "It was this one wasn't it?"

Fiver laughed, his paws on his belly. "You were so witty."

"Was I?" said Hazel.

"You were," said Fiver.

"Thank you," said Hazel. But then he looked at Fiver sadly.

"What's wrong, big brother?" said Fiver.

"Oh, nothing," said Hazel. "It sometimes just saddens me to see my little brother all grown up."

"But I am still the same baby you first laid eyes on."

And he hopped up and started tickling Hazel making him laugh hysterically. He then started to tickle him back and soon the two brothers rolled over each other going down the hill. Then they rushed back up and lay back down.

Fiver lay next to his big brother who suddenly brought him closer to his chest.

"The one thing I will never forget, Fiver," said Hazel, "is my first sight on you."

Fiver suddenly yawned and slowly started to close his eyes.

Hazel thought of taking him back to his burrow but he decided to let him sleep next to him in case he had another bad dream. He thought about how the others would react when they saw them the next morning, but he didn't care. When you love a brother that much, you hardly care what others think.

Hazel's eyelids slowly closed for the night.


End file.
